Governor Phil Murphy, Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, and Department of Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson today announced the Administration’s proposal to provide long-term care facilities with $155 million in additional funding as they look to reopen to visitors and resume normal operations. The funding—which will be a mix of state and federal monies—will allow for the implementation of a new DOH directive for the safe reopening of long-term care facilities for indoor visitation by appointment and other activities if the facilities have no COVID-19 cases among residents or staff. Before reopening, facilities must meet certain public health benchmarks including adequate infection control, staff and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to ensure preparedness.

- Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) announced the inclusion of key priorities in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) for communities in the 11th District. The legislation included an authorization for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with the Peckman River Basin Flood Risk Management project. Flooding is an extremely important issue in the 11th District, and has plagued this area of New Jersey for decades.

s part of the Administration’s coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Phil Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver today announced the creation of the Small Landlord Emergency Grant Program. The program, administered by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, will provide emergency grant funding to small property owners for COVID-19 related decreases in rent revenue for a four-month period between April and July 2020.

U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) applauded the announcement that $15 million in investment from the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has been made available to New Jersey small businesses. The investment will go to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority which will then administer the investment through programs to businesses impacted by COVID-19, specifically to small businesses in the Fifth District's Sussex and Warren Counties.

A pair of legislative initiatives aimed at stabilizing child care across the nation recently passed the House of Representatives. The Child Care is Essential Act and the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act, both seen as bipartisan, will next move the Senate.

The U.S. Census Bureau is ending all counting efforts for the 2020 census on Sept. 30, a month sooner than previously announced, the bureau's director confirmed Monday in a statement. That includes critical door-knocking efforts and collecting responses online, over the phone and by mail.